Attention ladies

[Tom Yum]

Most women aren't usually attracted to MA (excluding Tae bo). However, the women who I have had the fortune of meeting in and out of the gym who are serious about MA are one of a kind. They have a lot of heart, are usually in great shape and exude confidence. I've known a female amateur boxer for about a year now and she is one classy lady. She's had a couple of fights and won them by KO. When she works the focus mitts, they literally pop. She brought in one of her friends about 6 mo ago and they started training together. Her friend is getting really good. If you saw them, you would not assume they were fighters. One of them is an elementary teacher and the other is a grad student...

Not long ago acouple of ladies were watching my friends train and they winced and made silly, kniving comments. Why do women do this? My friends were out there working out and here come these silly ladies and their comments. In my opinion, we need more women who are willing to get out there and do it vs. sitting idly by and making shallow character based critiques.

Any comments?

[LadyLycara134]

I'm kinda hesitant to answer this b/c I'm only 15 and just got into MA about a year ago, but I love it so far, and I've been picked out several times to do demonstrations in the hapkido area, etc. because of all the effort I put into it. I really don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but the teacher and my parents both say that I'm the best of the group of people in the class that's under 25. We have about 20 people under 25, and 6 or 7 adults. I train with the adults in the self-defence element of the sport, however. I take it seriously and they take me seriously, and usually don't go *too* easy on me--they don't go easy because I'm a girl, but because I'm a minor and a lot smaller than most of them--Im only bout 5', maybe 5'1. Most of the time I'm paired with a woman called onna who's about 4'11, so we don't go easy on each other at all.

Some people at school, especialy the little 'in-crowd' in he class hink I'm a dork because I take MA's, but another boy in my class takes karate, and he and I hang out sometimes, and we go to eachother's tournaments. But I dno't really care what they think--I suck at virtually every other sport in the world, and this is something I can do, and I like doing it.

Just my 2 cents!

[Tom Yum]

Awesome! Keep it up.

[Battery]

Hi! I just wanted to reply because I have a few things in common with LadyLycara. I also am just 15, 5 ft 2" ish, and seen as "uncool". I don't care, I love what I'm doing. I'm working on being dedicated, one of the best. It might take me a while lol, but my instructor seems to think I'm not too bad. Well, just thought I'd add that.

[Tom Yum]

I started doing MA early in highschool as well. I worked really hard at everything in class (and outside). I lifted weights regularly and swam alot. By the time I was testing for my brown belt, I competed in open MA tournaments and made it to semi-finals against 1st and 2nd degree BBs in different styles (TKD, Hapkido, Shotokan Karate, Kung-fu) and learned alot. For ex. TKD people rely on their side kick/roundhouse kick and usually throw kick combos starting with those kicks, shotokan karate sylists get in deep stances and charge straight into you with reverse punches/front kicks and back kicks, kungfu stylists try to circle you and land backfists, spinning backfists, side kicks and sweeps).

In college, I learned about ring fighting (boxing) from a sparring session with a guy training for Sigma Chi fight night. He had a couple golden gloves fights in another state and knew he could dominate the competition. Anyhow, we sparred and I realized the difference between full-contact and point based sparring the hard way! I landed some good solid shots, but he knocked me silly a couple of times. If this guy was so-so for golden gloves, I knew I was training in the wrong style/wrong way. So I started watching fights (boxing/kickboxing/muaythai) for a couple of years and started taking lessons.

[chalambok]

It is probably none of my business, but I am pretty proud of the responses this has produced. If you girls are the average female martial artists then things are working out just fine. If I ever have a daughter, I hope she will be interested in training. But I know that I will have her imprinted by the time she gets in the back seat with some clown who has his own moves down pat. I know I will never be able to tell her what to do, and shouldn't wish to, but neither should anyone else. Keep up the good work and I am sure you will change someone else's life for the good someday.

[kengar]

Glad to hear of you ladies having fun and success in MA. Tom Yum, usually when people stand around and snicker about some other person doing some its because of their ignorance and insecurities.
If you all haven't been over on self defense forums check it out, there some good posts over there. And you don't see the idiots posting insulting and pointless subjects 'Women are weak & stupid'. You will probably enjoy your reading time.
When I was in Isshinryu Karate, a younger female, 13/14, brown belt was about to spar a guy, 17, who was bigger than her when he asked the Instructor if he should get down on his knees. I think my instructor felt my displeasure of that comment and he told the girl to sit down and told me to get up. The example was set. That girl worked hard, she might not have been able to take me in a fight, but she put forth all the effort and for someone to say something so insulting it was a disgrace to the entire class. The point, she didn't let in discourage her for doing her best.
Stay with it and don't let other people discourage you.

Ken

[terry]

Originally posted by kengar
And you don't see the idiots posting insulting and pointless subjects 'Women are weak & stupid'. You will probably enjoy your reading time.

This is a point well taken. My initial thoughts are that we probably need another person to moderate the 'women's counter-offensive discussion forum'.

If the task is to exercise some reasonable judgement in order to moderate or delete the posts of a few trolls then Ryanhall or I can do that. However, I hesitate on this one because I'm certainly not an authority on women's self-defense.

I would nominate Mrs. J. Although she hasn't been on this site for that long she's been around for years on the eskrima-digest. She also has done some interesting things relating to women's issues: everything from lobbying Congress to working with people in battered women's shelters.

Terry

[ryanhall]

I would nominate Mrs. J.

I'll second that.

[kengar]

To Everyone that posted on here,

I was a bit irritated Friday when I seen another less than interesting subject line that would do anything but encourage women to post on this forum. The fact is, this is a good forum with some people who have very good information to share or I wouldn't be on here myself looking through the forum.

Ken

[Flipper]

Re: Attention ladies

Originally posted by Tom Yum
Not long ago acouple of ladies were watching my friends train and they winced and made silly, kniving comments. Why do women do this? My friends were out there working out and here come these silly ladies and their comments. In my opinion, we need more women who are willing to get out there and do it vs. sitting idly by and making shallow character based critiques.

Any comments?

They make comments like that because they have never done what those girls were doing, so can't imagine what it is like and so don't know to have appreciation or respect for those girls in the ring. They also make comments like that because they will probably never have the guts to do that themselves, and they know it Jealously, plan and simple. The usual rule of thumb is, when a female is bitchy (or making "kniving comments"), she is jealous.